Washington, DC – March 6, 2024 – The Government of the Philippines Department of Information and Communications Technologies (DICT) delegation, lead by Secretary Attn. Ivan John E. Uy, met recently with several IDCA team members in the Washington, DC area to discuss economic transformation and digital hub development in the ASEAN region. The delegation attended a digital economy session arranged jointly by IDCA and Loudoun County Economic Development, and toured data centers in Loudoun County, VA's “Data Center Alley,” which hosts the world's largest concentration of traditional and hyperscale data centers.

“The Philippines is considered to have the most potential in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region for continued economic growth and technological progress,” said DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy, who led his country's delegation. “So we were pleased to be able to see Loudoun County's success up close, and can take some of the lessons learned here to help us create future growth in our country.” Secretary Uy was accompanied by Jeffrey Ian C. Dy, Undersecretary for Infostructure Management, Cybersecurity and Upskilling Authorized Representative for National Single Window, and Revenue Generating NGAs; Undersecretary Maria Francesca Montes and Assistant Secretary Renato Paraiso.

The DICT delegation attended a briefing led by Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of Loudoun County Economic Development and IDCA’s Chief Digital Hub Development Officer. Loudoun County’s team have driven unprecedented success in the region during his 17-year tenure. “Data centers in the county now consume 3.25 gigawatts of power, returned $10 billion of new data center contracts just last year, and more than $1 billion in real estate taxes to the county's citizens,” according to Rizer.

IDCA Chairman and CEO Mehdi Paryavi was joined by several key IDCA team members to brief the Philippines delegation about the overall progress of the data center industry and related Digital Infrastructure in the ASEAN region and the world. “As everyone here knows, the ASEAN region is a promising and economically lucrative and fertile region, and the Philippines is a member state that can play a vital role in the region’s digital economy and digital hub ecosystem,” he said. “We were honored to be hosting the Philippines government delegation, and learn about their vision and expectations for progress in today's globally connected economy.”

The Philippines has highly robust global connectivity through numerous high-bandwidth fiber-optic cables at several entry points, and a young workforce with an average age of 25 to leverage its potential within the region and the world, according to remarks delivered by Secretary Uy.

IDCA and DICT plan to lay out a long-term strategic collaboration in order to best utilize IDCA’s expertise and resources to the benefit of the Philippines' citizens.